Belarusian Competition Winner

Under the Grey Sky

Dir. Mara Tamkovich | Poland | 2024

Hard times: a chamber drama shot in the tradition of the “moral anxiety” cinema about a prisoner of conscience in the realities of political terror in Belarus.

Jury's comment

With smart and confident artistic choices, the director puts us in the shoes of a brave Belarussian journalist arrested when livestreaming the violent suppression of a peaceful protest. We understand and approve of the existential decisions taken by the protagonist and can only feel for her husband as she continues to stand up against the government that is destroying their family's life as it was. The jury unanimously decided to award the Best Film in the Belarusian competition to “Under The Grey Sky” by Mara Tamkovich.

Unwanted Kinship

Dir. Pavel Mozhar | Germany | 2024

Invasion: the shocking truth about war crimes in Ukraine allows the author to reflect on the reasons for the cruelty of the society that defeated Nazism.

Jury's comment

The jury has decided to award a special mention to a film that addresses Belarus’ involvement in the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine. Filmed far from the frontline, the movie raises sharp questions of responsibility, giving the director’s personal perspective but keeping a focus on civilian war victims and their overwhelming testimonies, underscored by a striking contrast of calm, lucid footage. The jury appreciates the film’s portrayal of moral introspection that ripples far beyond the frontline.

Processes

Dir. Andrei Kashperski | Poland | 2023

Brave new world: dark dystopian satire, Belarusian style. A collection of Kafkaesque anecdotes about a society living under the slogans “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength.”